Boned2 (Mandarin Connection Book 5) Read online

By whom?

  —————

  “The two of you, just get out, now, please,” I say to them.

  “Rachel,” Bone starts to say.

  “Out, now!” I scream.

  “I want to think!” I say.

  The two burly, manly men scurry out of my room.

  Pussies…

  —————

  I am being moved from the Facility to one of Brett’s estates.

  It’s not too far, and so we only travel for a few hours.

  I am still trying to figure out my feelings.

  Bone, you stupid man!

  Karl, you arrogant son of a bitch!

  Stephan, you prick!

  You awesome, lovely prick!

  Om and Moms alive!

  Kevin also a secret agent!

  And, now, what am I?

  Some sort of freak?

  An OCTAVIUS monster?

  —————

  The Old Man showed me the smallest piece of the puzzle, just enough to calm my fears about what had been done.

  They had made me not die, was all.

  But, they had no idea as to what that meant, for me.

  Was I going to be like my stepbrothers?

  Like Om?

  —————

  When we get to the estate, I am going to make it clear that I am not to be disturbed until further notice.

  I don’t care if Jesus Christ himself comes back and tells me it’s the Second Coming.

  If anyone bothers me, I’ll rip their balls off.

  Or their tits…

  I am equal opportunity ripper-offer.

  —————

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Kim and I are having coffee out on the veranda of the estate.

  We’re both worried, now that the stakes of the game have been raised so high.

  Kim’s son, Randall Brian, plays with a stuffed lion.

  He looks as though he is pretending to hunt it, but then he licks its nose.

  R.B. is a funny little guy.

  He’s almost three, and chatty, in that way of toddlers.

  He’s more sure-footed than most, but he also is pretty fearless, from what I can see.

  He’ll run around the house, out on the sand, and then back, again and again.

  I’d ask Kim if it bothered her that R.B. was always hiding and running free like he did, and she didn’t even pay it any mind.

  “We know where he is and what he is doing, and he’s a good boy. Plus, he’s got a Guardian Angel,” she says, smiling cryptically.

  I wonder what she meant, but we are soon moving onto other topics.

  The entire discussion with Karl and Bone and the subsequent episode has left me completely lost.

  The Mandarin Connection business makes me afraid and thrilled at the same time.

  I can hardly eat.

  I can barely bring myself to even consider thinking about any of it.

  It all is so nebulous to me.

  Even the recent attacks only make me afraid, more for the others than myself.

  I never knew how scary the world could be.

  All my life, my Mom and I went about things in an easy-going fashion.

  We’d go shopping, or out for a special meal, occasionally.

  I focused on school, she worked her ass off.

  Then, Om came along and it all was like a magical fantasy come true.

  The rich man took us away to a lifestyle we could barely imagine.

  And then, after I’d met my soul mate, he had killed my mother!

  Still devastated and reeling from that revelation, my heart was torn into pieces when Bone fell overboard, presumably lost and dead.

  Then, he came back!

  It is all a giant trick, a joke played on me!

  And Moms and Om are alive, too!

  I can’t manage it all in my head.

  I want some of it to be true, but I’ve lost a lot of trust in these men.

  It’s obvious to me that their mission is far more important than any feelings they say they have for me.

  I can’t really fault or blame them for being who they are, but damn it still stings!

  During the last week, my brain tried to rationalize reasons to hate them - but I came up short.

  It doesn’t help that my heart and my body betray my feelings for them.

  What can I do?

  Karl and Bone are in the study, arguing over some tactical nonsense with Captain Spalding and Stephan.

  Since Derek is still recovering from the assault, he isn’t in the rooms when the other men have their strategy meetings.

  Kim told me he was furious at being left out, but in his weakened condition there was no other choice.

  When Derek had asked to at least be given a video conferencing app for his phone, the others berated him for taking a lax view of security.

  When he countered with how we had the best security experts in the world working for us, they went to his doctor, who informed him that ‘all this excitement’ was not good for his recovery.

  You could hear Derek swearing for two days after that happened.

  We are sipping our cups, when suddenly there is a knock on the door.

  The security team suddenly perks up.

  I guess they had no idea that anyone had even entered the perimeter.

  This is not going to go well with the Captain, later.

  They are all on probation since the ambush.

  Instinctively, Kim stands up and goes to the door.

  She has a concealed handgun in her apron.

  When she opens it, there is an older, German man, quietly standing outside.

  “Is Herr White able to have visitors?” he enquires of her.

  Taken slightly aback, she lets him in and takes his coat.

  “May I ask who is calling?” she says.

  The security team appears in the background, and then takes one quick look at the man and each other.

  Then, one man speaks quickly into his mike.

  “It’s Wernher,” he says.

  “Sir,” he nods at the German.

  “Let’s go,” he motions to the other two men.

  They trot off, embarrassed at being caught off guard by an old man.

  I hear one of the men speak to the others as they leave.

  “You’re embarrassed? You should thank your stars he doesn’t think we’re hostiles. Otherwise, we’d all be dead right now,” he says.

  Who the fuck is this old geezer?

  —————

  “Fraulein Wilder, I am sorry that your friends were killed recently,” begins Wernher. “You have my condolences.”

  Kim nods once, and sits down.

  Wernher takes her by the hand and shakes it gently.

  “Such delicate bone structure,” he says.

  He turns her hand over to look at Kim’s wrist, and forearm, and then glances into her face.

  “I see you are with child, Fraulein. This is good, nuh?” he says.

  Kim reacts as if struck.

  “How can you tell? I’ve not even told Brian!” she exclaims.

  “A parlor trick, Fraulein, from my time as a medical doctor. It is nothing. I have a keen sense of smell, and have been around many pregnant women in my time. You are in good health, but I would recommend you reduce your caffeine and alcohol intake. Perhaps a nightcap, a small brandy, will grant you and your child some fortitude. But, you will of course, reduce your sugar intake, as you undoubtedly realize you have the tendency for diabetes?” Wernher asks, raising his eyebrows.

  He let her hand drop and shrugged, slightly.

  He rises to his full height.

  For an old man, Wernher is pretty tight.

  He is lean and wiry, and alert like a ferret.

  “Who are you?” asks Kim.

  I was thinking the same thing.

  “I am an acquaintance of Herr White, and Fraulein Greene. And, for that matter, of the Jaeger clan. They have all had some need of my
assistance at various times, and in certain capacities. You may remember, some time ago, in Miami.?” he smiles.

  “It was most unfortunate, what happened to Fraulein Greene’s half-brother, nein?” he says.

  I could swear I caught a brief glint of something in the old man’s eyes, but it was gone instantly.

  He almost sounded as though he were proud, in a nonchalant way, which was a very unusual thing to be, about Blaise’s death.

  “No matter, that is the past. We must now contend with the future,” he says.

  “What do you mean, sir?” says Kim.

  “Your kinder, mein dearest Fraulein, and the future of the world, for that matter,” he says ominously.

  “We must find Fraulein Bloomberg’s mother, and stepfather. And, we must assure the safety for your son, there, and the boy you carry in your womb,” he says, pointing at R.B. and then at Kim’s abdomen.

  “How can you possibly know I am having a boy?” asks Kim, incredulous.

  “Fraulein Wilder, you must ask Stephan Jaeger for the answer to that question. After all, I delivered he and his brothers. And all of their respective mothers had asked me the same question,” says Wernher.

  “But for now, let me assure you that I am at your service. I would, however, recommend that your security team be either replaced or retrained. It was absurdly simple to bypass them,” he says.

  Wernher examines a cuticle on his left hand, and makes a small facial motion, almost a tic.

  He wipes his fingernails on his shirt, and then re-examines them.

  This time, he grins slightly.

  “That is better,” he whispers, almost to himself.

  “I wish to speak to Herr White, now, if at all possible,” he says.

  It comes out more as a command than anything else.

  Here is a man used to not being told ‘no’.

  He smiles, charmingly.

  “It is not actually a request, Fraulein Wilder,” he says, in a neutral tone.

  I shudder at his voice as he says it.

  Again, I think - just who the fuck is this old geezer?

  —————

  “Herr White, time is short and I can see you are recovering well. My condolences on the loss of your men,” Wernher says.

  “And I trust your woman, Megan, is well?” he asks.

  His words come out rapidly, as if he suddenly remembered somewhere else he had to be.

  “Wernher, thank you. It’s good to see you, old friend,” says Derek.

  “Megan is being treated for shock, but I think she’s probably more angry than hurt,” he says.

  “Ser gut,” says Werhner.

  Kim and I stand in the hall, and look at each other, puzzled.

  These men know each other, and very closely!

  Then, Derek speaks to Wernher, in German,

  “Es ist einer der Segnungen der alten Freunde, die du dir leisten kannst, mit ihnen dumm zu sein,” he says.

  Wernher laughs, which is a distinctly unpleasant sound.

  He points to Derek’s wounds, and says “Dumkopf!”

  He slaps Derek’s bandages, and Derek winces mightily, trying not to howl from the pain.

  Wernher laughs again, and then, like a light being switched off, his face goes slack, and emotionless.

  “Mein freund, you almost joined the Army of the Dead, nein?” he asks.

  “No more of that, nein?” he says.

  He almost looks concerned, if such an emotion can actually exist for him.

  “We’ve got to get Om back, Herr White,” he says.

  “How do you want to play this?” asks Derek.

  Wernher walks over to the window, and peers out between the blinds at the sandy shore.

  His eyes track an invisible bird, or maybe a cloud.

  He closes them, and steps towards us.

  We move aside, to let him pass.

  “Wernher?” says Derek.

  “As we always play, Herr White,” says Wernher, as he retrieves his coat.

  “For all the chips! Good day, Frauleins,” he says.

  Then, he’s gone.

  This time, the security team follow him to his motorcycle.

  It’s a Suzuki Hayabusa.

  As he zooms off at high speeds, he does a wheelie, and I think it again.

  Just who the fuck is this old geezer?

  —————

  “Ok, Derek, just what the hell was all that? Who is that old geezer?” I say.

  Kim was right behind me.

  “He gives me the ultimate creeps, with all that High German, Uber-mensch vibe!” she says, hugging herself.

  “How the hell did he know I was pregnant? Even I don’t know what it will be!” she exclaims.

  Suddenly, she puts her hands to her face,

  “Brian doesn’t know, yet, so please, let’s keep this a secret! OK?” she begs.

  “No problem, your secret is safe with us!” I say, cheerfully.

  I am just a bit jealous of Kim.

  She and Kady have beautiful children.

  I knew that Megan and Derek had been trying, but I think I had heard that she’d miscarried, and I’m not sure.

  I don’t think I should ask him, here on his recovery bed, either.

  I make a mental note to ask Kim later.

  “Wernher is an old friend. He was once a medical doctor, and a damned good one. For the SS. Yeah, the Nazi’s. How old do you think he is?” asks Derek.

  “He looks a fit sixty or so,” says Kim.

  “If he were really a Nazi, he’d have to be …” I stop.

  “He’s almost a hundred,” says Derek, deadpan.

  “And, he wasn’t a Nazi. He worked for the SS. But he wasn’t a party member. He’s a survivor and POW from Stalag 341. And, he served as a doctor in a Rheinwiesenlager, where he was responsible for saving at least four-hundred POWs,” he says.

  “When the war was over, he escaped to Italy, but he didn’t have a good command of the language, and, predictably, everyone thought he was a Nazi. He went deep into the Alps, and lived off-the-grid until about the mid-seventies, when he was able to recover some of his family’s wealth from Swiss banks and trusts that had been set up before the War,” Derek says.

  He pauses for a sip of water.

  His machines beep and pulse, and Kim and I both worry for him.

  “I’ll be okay, ladies,” he laughs, having apparently read our minds.

  Derek continues his story.

  “Around 1976, Wernher was recruited by the KGB, believe it or not. When they sent him here, he immediately offered to become a double-agent for the CIA. They laughed him out of their offices, and nearly arrested him. Two days later, Operation Eagle Claw happened, and President Carter was embarrassed by the failure of his rescue crews to extract the Iranian hostages. About a month later, guess who shows up at CIA HQ, carrying classified documents that had to be left behind on the gunships?” he asks.

  He sips at the water, again, grimacing.

  “This tastes pretty flat,” he admits.

  Derek sets down the glass.

  “I guess I’ll ask the nurse if I can have ginger ale tomorrow,” he says.

  He looks at us, smiling, as the morphine drip gives him another small dose.

  His eyes become a bit dreamy.

  I like Derek.

  He is a good friend, and easy on the eyes.

  And, I know he would put his life on the line for any of us.

  Derek yawns, and Kim and I get ready to leave.

  “That ‘old geezer’ is one of the best operatives I’ve ever seen,” he says.

  He rubs his eyes with his fists, looking like a big baby.

  He rolls over, and drags the bed covers over his chest.

  “The funny part for me is that I didn’t realize that it was him at the Fontainbleau. I just thought, ‘H’mmm, that old dude sure has a nice bike!’” he says, chuckling.

  He yawns again, and falls asleep.

  I can’t resist it,
so I give him a quick peck on the cheek.

  Kim sees me do it, and smiles.

  “That’s not the way it’s done, you tease!” she says.

  Then, she goes over and plants one right on his warm, sleeping lips.

  He murmurs something in his sleep, and grins.

  Kim and I leave Derek gently snoring.

  Apparently, he is having a great dream, because his boxers are pretty taut.

  Kim and I look at each other.

  There’s no one else around, and we both want a peek.

  So, I lift the covers, and she slides his shorts down a bit.

  It’s humongous!

  We look at it for a minute.

  Then, she covers him back up.

  And, I put the sheet back.

  —————

  “Woof!” I say, as we walk back to the veranda, to finish our drinks.

  “And how!” she exclaims, with feeling.

  “Want to kiss it?” I ask.

  For just a minute, Kim looks like I just shot her…

  “Well, as long as you don’t tell anyone,” she says.

  “And, you must kiss it, too!” she adds.

  “Well, not today, then,” I say.

  “Later, then?” she asks, raising an eyebrow.

  “What will Megan think, I wonder?” I say.

  “I like Megan, you know,” she says.

  “My, this is getting frisky, isn’t it?” I chuckle.

  I take a long look at Kim, and remember Julie and Tanya.

  I think of Olga.

  And Karl, and Bone.

  And of course, Stephan.

  I even think of Kevin.

  —————

  A short while later, and I am jealous of Kim in an entirely different way, now.

  “What?” she said, as we walked back out on the veranda.

  “That seemed a bit forward,” I said. “I mean, I’m not judging, but…”

  “Hormones,” she said.

  “One of the perks of being pregnant!” she smiled, and winked at me mischievously.

  “Tell you what, Kim,” I say.

  “What?” she replies.

  “Remind me to ask you and Brian over, one night,” I say.

  “Maybe we can all have a sleepover,” I say.

  “That sounds fun! Can I invite Megan?” she says, with a small pout.

  “Of course! But, you’ll have to kiss her, too!” I say, with a laugh.

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way, Rachel!” she replies, and gives my ass a squeeze.

  “Oh my!” I say.

  Then, we arrive back at the veranda, and R.B. is now awake and wanting some milk and cookies, and Kim goes into mommy mode, and my mind goes back to more mundane things.